The Ketchum Legacy: The Pain of Asher
by Alexandria Prime
Summary: Book One to the Ketchum Legacy. Team Rocket took over the world, and it took almost everything Ash had to stop them. 20 years later, Team Rocket rises again, and at the prompting of a old friend Asher Ketch, his wife, Serenity Ketch, and their six kids have to stand up to them for one last time. But who is Asher? And why is he so reluctant to let Pokemon into his life?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everybody! My brother, Carl, said that he had a Pokémon story idea for me, so I decided to listen and see what I could do.**

 **Warning: this story will contain the following; Pokémon deaths; violence; and possible favorite character deaths (if my brother says it)**

 **So here's the full summary:**

 _ **Team Rocket took over the world, and it took almost everything Ash had to stop them. 20 years later, Team Rocket rises again, and at the prompting of a old friend Asher Ketch, his wife, Serenity Ketch, and their six kids have to stand up to them for one last time.**_

 _ **Asher still has scars from the last battle with this gang, and with the rebelliousness of his oldest son, will the family reunite with their friends and defeat Team Rocket once and for all? And what happened to Asher that makes him hate Team Rocket so much besides them being total idiots?**_

 _ **This is…The Pain of Asher.**_

 **(())**

 _Prologue_

 _Five years after Ash's Alolan journey, Team Rocket, who had once only been an inconvenience in Ash's life, grew to be a menace. Without the world noticing, they had soon captured Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova, and were heading to Kalos. If Team Rocket captured that region, they would be able to gain every Mega-Stone that was there, and nobody would be able to stop them._

 _In order to buy time for his friends to gather, Ash gathered all his Pokémon and fought the advancing evil tide. With the gift of several Mega-Stones from Professor Sycamore, Ash held off Team Rocket for almost a week. But, unfortunately, his friends arrived almost too late._

 _Almost all of Ash's Pokémon were on the brink of death, and those that were still fighting were almost dead from exhaustion. But with the reinforcements of Ash's friends, the remaining Pokémon gathered up what little strength they had left and managed to defeat Team Rocket, carting off almost every single member, including Giovanni, their leader. But in the aftermath of the battle, everyone noticed something;_

 _Where was Ash?_

 **(())**

 _ **[Downtown Viridian City]**_

In a large warehouse in the lower sections of Viridian City, a Pokémon battle was about to commence. But this was one of the places where illegal Pokémon battling was done. It was illegal because here was where the gambling took place in the Pokémon world.

After the twenty years of the Team Rocket crisis, the Pokémon world had started to expand, and the Pokémon that inhabited the world had begun to spread to different regions. Take for instance, a young, raven-haired, seventeen year-old teenager who had never been outside to region before, with a Riolu walking by his side. "Ready Riolu?" asked the teenager. The Riolu nodded.

" _And entering the arena now is seventeen year-old Thorn Ketch with his partner Riolu! A formidable pair you could say!"_ said the announcer. Thorn took a deep breath as he and Riolu stepped into the spotlight on their side of the arena. On the other side of the arena stood a forty year-old man with a Machamp, which easily towered above Riolu. _"Facing them,"_ continued the announcer, _"is Dawson Jakes and his Machamp! Hopefully Thorn and Riolu will be able to face one of the champions of the Gala-Knight Pits!"_ Thorns eyes turned to fire at the laughter that filled the arena. Oh they were so going to get it!

"At least give me a worthy battle boy!" said Dawson on the other side of the arena with a booming laugh, "Or else this battle will be over in a second!"

"Oh, I'll give you a fight!" yelled Thorn. Then he yelled to Riolu, "Riolu, use Quick Attack!" Riolu instantly sped forward, covered in a pale white glow.

But Dawson simply scoffed and ordered, "Machamp, use Rock Throw." Several large boulders surrounded Machamps body, throwing themselves at Riolu.

Thorn and Riolu seemed to share a hidden message as it looked back towards the teenager. Instantly, Riolu split into several copies and leapt on top of the rocks. Several Riolus disappeared as Dawson ordered, "X-Scissor!" until the real Riolu was seen, wielding an…Aura Sphere?

"Riolu!" yelled Thorn, a strange fire in his eyes, "Aura Sphere!" Riolu launched the swirling energy ball, striking Machamp full in the face, causing it to roar in pain and fall to the ground. Riolu landed a little bit shakily on the ground due to the Metal Sound, but remained upright.

The referee looked at Machamps face for confirmation and declared, "Machamp is unable to battle! Riolu is the winner! Which means the victory goes to Thorn!"

"All right!" yelled Thorn, but then he was interrupted when Riolu jumped onto him, wrapping his arms around his neck. As Thorn landed on the ground, he happily returned the hug, saying, "Buddy, you were incredible!"

Suddenly, there came an explosion by the entrance, causing the small audience and the battlers heads to turn. Someone yelled, "It's the police!"

"Riolu, let's go!" whispered Thorn as everyone started to head for one of the back entrances. Riolu nodded, and once again, it seemed as if a hidden message was shared between them. They quickly headed back the way that they had come, heading to the door at the end of the hall.

Suddenly, a dark figure dropped down from behind them. Riolu noticed and fired a Aura Sphere at the figure. The figure dodged and the sphere exploded when it hit the ceiling. A cop yelled, "There's someone down there!"

"So that's the famous Aura Sphere," said the figure, his eyes smiling. "That Pokémon will be very good addition to the team." Then he launched something at the teenager and Pokémon.

Riolu gave a yell as he was wrapped around with ropes which began to shock him, and Thorn gave a yelp as his legs and arms were entangled in a pair of bolas. Then the stranger darted forward and struck him in the back of the head with a rod, then, he swiftly injected a sedative into Riolus neck. Then while the Pokémon was falling unconscious, the stranger removed the bolas' from the teenagers body, then, picking up Riolu, he vanished back into the ceiling.

A little while later, Thorn was found by the cops and taken to jail for illegal Pokémon fighting.

 **(())**

Serenity Ketch stood outside the police department, pacing anxiously and tugging at her long, honey blond hair. Partly, she was angry that her son would do this, but she was also sympathetic to Thorn. He so much reminded her of his father.

Finally, Thorn came out of the Police Station, and Serenity wrapped him into a hug as she asked, "Are you okay, Thorn?" Then she realized that he looked haggard and winced as she touched one of the red welts on his arms. He rubbed the back of his head as he said, "No, Mom. I'm not okay."

"Want to go to the Pokémon center?" she asked him.

"No. Riolu got kidnapped."

Serenity guided her son to the car as Thorn started to explain what had happened. When the story finished, they were just pulling up in front of the house. "I don't know who it was, but I'm going to make him pay for taking Riolu," finished Thorn, anger in his voice.

"Before you go rushing of to save Pokémon," said his mother in a slight scolding tone, "you are going to have to talk to your father for your disobedience this evening." Thorn's face turned a slight red color as they headed into the house.

As Serenity treated Thorn's injuries, Asher Ketch came in. He had dark, raven-colored hair that was slightly on the long side, but didn't go past his neck. His amber colored eyes looked at his son disapprovingly as he said, "Why do you always get yourself into these situations?"

"For one thing, dad," said Thorn angrily, "This wasn't a normal situation; someone attacked me if you hadn't noticed."

"Since you have done something like this," Asher continued, "I would say that you deserved it, for being an idiot. You don't go off doing illegal Pokémon battles, especially when you don't have any Pokémon. What did you do, borrow someone else's?"

"Actually, I had a friend. Then he got kidnapped. And no matter what you might say, I'm going to get him back, I swear it!" And with that, Thorn stood up from the table and marched off to his room as Asher yelled after him, "you can leave that to the police! You're grounded!"

The family Sylveon walked into the room, and, noticing the distraught look on Serenity's face, hopped into her lap as she said, "You know he is going to try and leave. Why don't you give him a chance?"

"Like I said, he should leave it to the police," he answered, "plus, you remember that you do not want to mess with a Pokémon Poacher." And with that, he left the dining room. Serenity looked at the door that her husband had left from and then looked down at Sylveon and said, "I don't think that was a Poacher from what Thorn said."

 **(())**

 _ **[Viridian City]**_

Asher resignedly put his face in his hands, thinking, _I was never good at math. Why did I have to get a job as a Tax Consultant?!_

Looking out the window, he saw people out on the streets, some with Pokémon. He sighed ruefully, remembering the days when he used to like Pokémon. But he knew-and painfully remembered-why he had changed so much.

Suddenly, there came a beeping from the panel and the front desk lady's voice chimed and said, _"Sir, there's a man here to see you. He says it's very urgent."_

"Might as well send him in," he replied. A minute later, the door opened. Asher looked up for a split second and then looked down. The man standing at the doorway took note of this; Asher knew him instantly, even though it had been a very long time since they had last seen each other.

The man was wearing a belt with at least six Pokéballs on it. He had brown skin and dark brown hair. He wore a orange vest over a forest green shirt and gray pants, and it was hard to tell what his expression was with his squinting eyes.

"It's taken me a long time to track you down," said the man, "though this is one of the last places that I would look. A tax consultant?"

" _Private_ tax consultant," replied Asher, "and it's a job."

The man took a seat as Asher looked up and asked, "May I ask what you're doing here, old friend? I expect it's not because your having trouble with money."

"Team Rocket's banding together again." The man placed a red Pokéball on the desk and said, "I don't have much time, but we need you again A-"

"Asher," came the quick reply, "and if you're being hunted, you better leave the region quickly."

"I will," replied the man, standing up, "but after I know that you and your family is safe. I'll meet you at the house, Asher." He chuckled and said, "Nice nickname by the way."

"Thanks," Asher said dryly. "I'll see you there, Brock."

When the man-Brock-took his leave, Asher stood up and watched out the window until he saw Brock exiting out the building and hailing a taxi. He saw Brock look into the driver window for a second, and then he climbed in. As soon as the taxi was out of sight, Asher checked his watch, then called up his boss and quickly explained what had happened. Then, gathering up his things and the Pokéball on the desk, he quickly exited the office building.

 **(())**

Ash walked through the door and met the surprised gaze of his family. Serenity and Thorn were busy trying to stop the youngest of the family, a girl by the name of Eva, from once more climbing into the fireplace, the twins, Jake and Riley, were drawing on the floor, the second-oldest, a girl named Rose, was grooming Sylveon, and Tyson, the third-oldest in the family, was toying with a mini-figurine of a Onix. Everyone jerked up in surprise as he opened the door and said, "Pack light, we need to leave soon. Serenity, we have to talk."

"What is it dad?" asked Tyson.

"Someone came up to the office and said that we're being hunted. He should be over here soon. If you see someone running up the sidewalk, give a call. Now go pack!"

"Dad-" Thorn started to argue, but his father interrupted him, saying, "Not now, Thorn. Go help your siblings."

The family scattered as Serenity walked up to her husband and asked, "Asher, what is it?"

"I'll tell you while we're packing," he explained as he pulled her to their bedroom, shutting and locking the door. He quickly explained about Brocks visit and what he had said about Team Rocket. "And that's why we're going to need to leave," he finished as he put the last of his clothes in a light backpack.

Serenity had done the same and asked, "Can I see the Pokéball?"

Asher dug into his pocket and pulled out the Pokéball that Brock had given him. "Did he give you the one that I gave him?" she asked.

"No," he replied quickly, "but I think he'll give it to you when he gets here. We're going to need all the help we can get." As he put the Pokéball back into his pocket, he noticed her looking at him. "What?" he asked.

Serenity sat on the bed and said, "I'm just worried."

"About what?" he asked her.

"You," she replied, "I cared for you for two years, and after that coma, you nearly killed yourself. Are you sure that you can fight them again?"

"I'll make sure that we can get this finished quickly. It was just a bad battle; this will be over before you know it," he assured her. He pulled her into a hug and gently kissed her. Serenity held his face so that the kiss would last.

Suddenly there came a knocking at the bedroom door, causing them to break off the kiss, "Come in," called out Serenity.

Jake opened the door with Thorn and said, "There's a man running up the road. He should be at the door soon, Dad."

"Get everyone to the living room," said Asher, "we'll be with you in a second. When the man gets to the door, bring him right in." The two boys nodded and left.

"And it looks like this battle is starting again," said Serenity. "It sure does," replied Asher.

As they headed to the living room, they already saw Brock pacing in front of the fireplace. Because it took him only about five second to get from one side to the other, Eva had a hard time trying to climb inside it again. As Serenity picked up her daughter, Brock nodded to Asher and said, "I've got a friend that will take me out of the region. She can do the same for your family. I'm going to head to Kalos and join up with a few more of your friends."

"We can head to my mom's house," said Serenity. Turning to Asher, she said, "I'm still worried about you being alone. Take Thorn with you."

"What!" Thorn exclaimed, no comment coming from his dad, "Why?!"

Serenity ignored her son and continued, "If he's going to learn to be a Pokémon Trainer, it's better that he learns from his own father!"

"Wait!" said Tyson, "Dad's a Pokémon Trainer?"

Before Asher could answer, an explosion hit the wall, nearly knocking the door off its hinges. Rose and Riley screamed and Eva started to cry. "Come on out!" yelled a voice.

"Let me guess," Asher turned to Brock and said, "You forgot to mention that Team Rocket was hot on your tail."

"I guess I did," Brock said, already cursing himself. Pulling out another Pokéball and handed it to Serenity, much to the shock of the other kids, and said, "You'll need this. I'll hold them off while you escape."

As he rushed outside, Serenity opened the Pokéball, and in a flash of light, a Delfox appeared. The Fox Pokémon hugged Serenity, her trainer happily as if to say, _I missed you._

"I missed you too Delfox," Serenity replied, hugging her partner back. Asher handed her a map to where they were going to meet up with Brock's friend and said, "Stay safe."

"You too." She kissed him goodbye, causing the rest of the kids, except Eva, who was still crying, but now stroking Delfox's coat, to go, "eeeeewwww!"

She then pulled her son into a hug and said, "Stay safe, Thorn."

"I will mum," he replied, "but what's going on here?"

"You'll find out later," she told him as she gathered the rest of the family, kissed her son on the cheek, and with Delfox and Sylveon, headed out the back door.

Thorn turned to his dad and asked the question that had gone unanswered, "You were a Pokémon Trainer?"

As a final explosion came from outside, Asher replied, "Stay behind and close to me." Thorn backed up a step as he saw something flickering in his father's eyes. The two of them headed out the door to see Brock retrieving all of his knocked out Pokémon.

"Please tell me you're ready to fight," asked Brock to the two, "they just defeated my last Pokémon." The scornful laughter caused them to look up at Team Rocket. "Uh, they don't look like ordinary members," said Thorn.

"Elites," explained Brock, "very powerful."

There was at least twelve Team Rocket Elites. They had sent out almost all of their Pokémon and there were a few that had Mega Evolved-a Tyranitar, a Houndoom, and an Alakazam. "So," called out one of the Elites, "giving up, or are you thirsty for more?"

Asher stepped forward and said, "I'll fight you!"

They laughed once more and the same Elite said, "You don't even have any Pokémon!"

Asher took out the Pokéball that Brock had given him, held it out in front of him, and said in a _very_ icy voice, "I have one."

"Well then," said the Elite, "Then let us battle. GO!"

All of the Team Rocket Pokémon sprang forward as Asher threw the Pokéball with a very experienced throw, as if he had done Pokémon Battles for years. What happened next was very quick.

As the Pokéball opened, a _very_ massive flame emerged, making the ground explode and a black cloud of smoke appear. All of the Elite's Pokémon fell backwards, spirals in their eyes and the Mega Pokémon switching back to their original forms. As the Elites looked up, Asher came out of the smoke with a very angry look on his face, and the smoke disappeared, revealing a Charizard, who gave a triumphant roar.

"You threaten my family," said Asher to the very frightened Team Rocket, "you threaten my home, and you threaten my world! So you had all better run! You know who I am-and I AM BACK! You wanted a battle; I'll give you one! Charizard! FLAMETHROWER!"

Charizard released another massive flame at Team Rocket, causing the ground to explode. They were launched up into the air, yelling, "WE'RE BLASTING OFF AFTER TWENTY YEARS!"

Asher turned to see a grinning Brock and a very shocked ad awed Thorn, who then said in a weak voice, "That was so one-sided."

"Glad to see that you've still got the touch after all this time," said Brock cheerfully, "I'm going to head to a Pokémon Center to heal up my Pokémon. Then, I'll go meet up with Serenity and the rest of your family and head to Kalos. Good luck you two."

"Don't go proposing to Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy now," joked Asher. Charizard even gave a couple of laughing growls as Brock said, "I'm over that, Asher. You know that. I've already got a wife."

"Still, don't do it!" chuckled Asher.

Thorn looked between the two as the shook ands and Brock raced away to the nearby Pokémon Center. Turning to his dad, he asked, "How-"

"I'll explain later, son," said Asher, chuckling, "let's just say during my last battle with Team Rocket, me and my Pokémon got a seriously big power upgrade. Charizard, I'd like you to meet my oldest son, Thorn. Thorn, this is Charizard. He wasn't my first Pokémon, but he is among the first that I caught."

"What was your first Pokémon then, Dad? A Squirtle? A Bulbasaur?"

"A Pikachu, actually." A pained look crossed his face when he said that, but he shook his head and then said, "C'mon Thorn. If you're going to be a Pokémon Trainer and if we're going to rescue Riolu, we had better get to work."

The two of them climbed on Charizards back and they took off to the air, and Asher knew there and then, that this wouldn't end quickly. This would be the end to Team Rocket. He swore there and then, that they would not hurt this world any longer.

 **Hope you all like this! Just some clarification though; Eva's name is pronounced, (Ae-vah) and I will explain later on how Ash's Pokémon got so powerful.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here we are, the next chapter! I hope you guys have enjoyed the last chapter.**

 **Now we get on to a few reunions. And don't worry, one of them will be very hilarious!**

 **[Team Rocket secret headquarters]**

The Riolu that had been kidnapped struggled on the examination table. His hands were clamped down and he had a steel bar surrounding his middle. He looked frightened as Team Rocket scientists surrounded him once more. One of them was holding a needle.

Behind a wall of glass, several higher ups and the new leader of Team Rocket watched as the scientists held down Riolu, who was still struggling. "It's a pity we weren't able to capture Brock," said one of the higher ups, "he is delaying our cause."

"And the other man that helped him," said another man. He was one of the Elites that had been at Asher's house, "He was very powerful. I believe Brock called him, Asher."

"Whoever he is," said the boss, "I want them both found. Tell all our agents in the regions that they must be ready; the final project will soon be ready. And then the Pokémon World will be ours."

Meanwhile, in the examination room, the scientists finally managed to pin down Riolu, and the scientist that was holding the needle injected whatever was in it into Riolus bloodstream. They stood back as Riolu struggled a bit more, then stopped. When Riolu opened his red eyes, they glowed brightly.

 **[Forest in Kanto]**

Later that night, Asher, Thorn, and Charizard were sitting around a campfire, getting ready to settle down for the night. Asher was leaning against Charizard while Thorn was on the other side of the campfire in deep thought about what he had just seen earlier that day. Finally le looked up and said, "You're Ash Ketchum, aren't you?"

There came a few seconds of silence, then Asher said, "I was."

After a couple seconds of more silence, Thorn said, "You were a Pokémon Trainer."

"One of the best," replied Asher.

They both looked at Charizard as he gave a snort that said, _Yeah right!_

Thorn was about to say something else when his father said, "I have my reasons for giving it all up. War does that to you."

"What happened?" Thorn asked him.

For a moment, Thorn was afraid that Asher wouldn't answer. Then, Asher started to explain what happened to him, "After the battle was finished, your mother found me being carried away by a few of my Pokémon. She took them to a place where I could recover. It took me a few months for me to wake up from the coma, and when I did, the shock of the aftermath and another two years suffering from the depression that had seized me pretty much destroyed me. I nearly killed myself 5 times. I never saw things as I did before. But if your mother hadn't been there for me, I doubt I would be alive today. So I chose to start a new life for myself. Asher Ketch; that was your mother's idea." He smiled ruefully for a second and then continued.

"We moved on in our lives, though by hiding from the world. The world saw me as a hero, but I couldn't after that day. Eventually, your mother married me, and you know the rest of the story." He got up from Charizard and put a few more logs on the fire.

"So, who's Brock? I think I've heard of him before, but I can't think where," Thorn said.

"Brock was one of my first traveling companions, along with his wife, Misty. They were both Gym Leaders. Brock was the Gym Leader of Pewter City, while Misty was one of the four Gym Leaders of the Cerulean Gym. Sometimes I wonder how they managed to get it to work out; Rock Types and Water Types don't mx very well together." He chuckled for a second and then continued, "Your mother was one of my later traveling companions as I traveled through Kalos. We had met each other when we were younger, but I forgot about her until I came to Kalos, where she joined me and reminded me of when we had met."

"Who exactly is mom? I doubt her real name is Serenity."

"Your mother is a Pokémon Performer, a hero, a friend and companion, and a beautiful wife and mother. Her name is actually Serena Yvonne."

"So she's just as famous as you are," joked Thorn.

"Yup."

After a bit more silence, Thorn asked, "Why won't you let me be a Pokémon Trainer, Dad? I just don't understand."

"I wanted you to spend your childhood on the things that I didn't have. A better education for one." He laughed at that part, then continued, "I didn't want your life to be full of battling and fighting like mine was. I wanted you to actually have a childhood. Because of me being a Trainer, I became a man too early. I wanted you to be better than me and actually be young."

Thorn watched as his dad sat down beside Charizard again, and then asked, "Was it fun being a trainer?"

Asher laughed and said, "Besides saving the world the whole time, yeah, I had a pretty fun time. Now, are we done with Twenty Questions or are we going to get some sleep?"

As the fire died lower, Thorn asked one last question, "Dad?"

"Yes son?"

"Can you teach me to be a Pokémon Trainer?"

"We'll see, Thorn. We'll see."

 **[Forest outside of Pallet Town]**

"There's Pallet Town," said Asher, pointing to a small town that they were flying to. "What's there?" asked Thorn.

"Charizard isn't the only Pokémon that I have," explained his father, "In case Team Rocket decided to strike again, I had a friend of mine, the new Professor, Gary Oak, take four of my Pokémon to a secret place. Even I don't know where the are. But Gary does, so we're going to go see him."

Suddenly, Charizard perked up. "What is it?" asked Asher. Suddenly the three of them saw it. Arcs of electricity were shooting through the air. Charizard swooped down lower to see a swarm of Beedril attacking two Pikachus.

"Dad, we should go help!" said Thorn. "Its nature son," said Asher, "we can't interfere."

"You're just not wanting to," Thorn said angrily. "Thorn-" Asher started to say, but was interrupted as Thorn leapt off of Charizards back and tackled one of the Beedril. Leaping off, he grabbed a sturdy branch and started to hold them off.

As Charizard dove down to join him, he sot a look at Asher that said, _He reminds me of you way to much._

As Charizard and Trainer landed on the ground, Asher yelled, "Charizard! Use Flamethrower!" Charizard shot a stream of large flames at the Beedril, causing them to disperse into the trees. "Now that that's over-hey!"

The Pikachu had run over to Charizard and hugged his large legs. Charizard looked down with a mixture of sadness and bemusement. "Okay, get off!" said Asher, pulling on one of the Pikachus tails. Unfortunately, he forgot one of the rules of Pikachu; _never_ pull on a Pikachus tail. The Pikachu unfortunately knew Thunderbolt, so he got pretty _shocked_ by it.

Thorn was laughing so hard at his dad's Professor-Oak-gets-zapped-by-Rotom-look (or would it be what-his-hair-looks-like-when-one-of-Clemont's-inventions-explode) that he could barely stand up straight. Charizard said something to the two Pikachu that made them look towards Asher with teary eyes, and when Asher came to, he found himself being throttled by one of the Pikachu and Thorn gleefully petting the one that had shocked Asher. And it was obviously enjoying it very much. And Charizard was grinning as if he hadn't even said a thing.

"Can we keep them, dad?" asked Thorn.

"I do not need another Pikachu!" said Asher, struggling as the Pikachu squeezed tighter.

"So? We can keep them both, and give one to Tyson when we see the family again!"

Suddenly, the grip on the strangling Pikachu felt slack and as Asher stood up, the Pikachu fell off. Despite what Asher had said before, he suddenly felt worried and checked the Pikachu, seeing a Beedril puncture mark on its back. "Poisoned," he reported, "lets get to the lab."

 **(())**

"Pikachu will be quite all right," Gary said as he put him into the small Pokémon healer device, "After a couple of minutes, it'll be as right as rain."

"Nothing's alright with rain," contradicted Thorn, "it's miserable to be in rain. You should know."

"Nice kid," Gary commented to Asher. "If you knew half the things he would do," said Asher, "you wouldn't think so. So, where are the Pokémon I gave you? Are they safe?"

"They're safe, Asher," said Gary. He pulled up a map and pointed to a mountain in between the boundary of Kanto and Johto, "They're at Mount Silver, at a cave close to the base. Oh, and before I forget," he turned to Asher, grinning, "don't you think you should visit your Mom before you go?"

Asher blushed a deep scarlet and said to Thorn, whose Pikachu was sitting on his shoulder, "Thorn, you stay here."

"C'mon. I want to meet Grandma!" complained Thorn. "Thorn," said Gary, putting a hand on the teenagers other shoulder, "Let them have some alone time. After all, she hasn't seen him for almost twenty years."

 **(())**

Asher stood nervously at the gate to his moms house, trying to steel himself into walking up the sidewalk. But how would she react? Would she be shocked? Most definitely. Would she be angry? Possibly. Would she be scared? Eh, maybe not. Would she kill him? Absolutely! Shaking his head, he thought, _lets just get this over with!_

He opened the gate and started up the sidewalk, stopping in front of the door. After a few seconds, he knocked.

After a minute, Delia Ketchum, no longer red-haired but grey and spouting a few lines on her face, opened the door and came face-to-face with her son. "Hey, Mom," said Asher, a little bit shamefully.

 _Slam!_ The door shut in his face. Asher stood there, a confused look on his face as there came a sound of rummaging from inside. Before he could even peek in a window, his mother came back out, wielding an umbrella, which she started hitting her son with and saying, "Where. Have. You. Been. All. This. Time!"

"Ow! Hey Mom! Can you cut it out, Please?! Ow! Hey! Help!" This form of punishment kept on repeating itself for about five minutes-although to Asher it felt like an hour-before his mother stopped, dropped the umbrella, and wrapped her son in a tight hug. "Oh, Ash," she whispered, "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, mom," said Asher, not even trying to correct his mother as he felt tears starting to come out of his eyes. With his mom, she could call him anything.

 **(())**

"So, Gary," asked Thorn, sitting down with a cup of water, Gary Oak sitting on the other side of him with a cup of water as well, "How do you know my dad? Were you two friends? Traveling companions?"

"For a short time in the Sinnoh region when I was investigating a group of Bagon for my Grandfather," said Gary, smiling, "and when there was this incident with Team Galactic. Truth is, me and your dad were rivals. Bitter ones at first, but slowly, we became friends."

"So, my dad asked you to help when Team Rocket showed up again, did he?" asked Thorn.

"After the incident with Team Rocket," here, the Professor frowned, "It was about three years after that, my Grandfather, the Professor Oak before me, gave me the title as the top researcher of the world. He taught me everything that I would need to know, and about a year after that, he passed on. Two months after he died, your father and mother appeared on my doorstep. Brock was visiting me at the time, and somehow, Ash knew about that.

"After getting over the shock of seeing them both again, Ash and Serena explained that Team Rocket might try to take over the world again. So, they had a contingency plan ready, and they needed our help."

Gary took a sip of water, watching the two, fully healed Pikachus playing with the other smaller Pokémon and Charizard and his Electrivire having an arm wrestling contest. "When there would be signs of Team Rocket uprisings," he continued, "Brock would go over to Ash's house with Charizard and Delfox. The rest of Serena's Pokémon would beat her mothers place, so she would go there while Ash remained behind in Kanto. I would put four other Pokémon in a safe place-not here, I might say-for Ash to collect after he had Charizard."

Thorn noticed him looking at the two Pikachu in sadness before asking, "What happened to my dad's first Pikachu."

"If you want to find out," said Gary, looking at the teenager, "You'll have to go to that cave where the Pokémon are with your father. The answers will be there."

 **(())**

 **[Anistar City]**

When Serenity had arrived in Kalos with her family and Pokemon, she had decided to change her name to Serena again and left her family with her mom, deciding to go see Olympia at the Anistar City Gym with the rest of her Pokemon; Delfox, Pangroo, and Sylveon.

"I'm glad that you decided to have an audience with me, Lady Olympia," said Serena as the two women walked along (or in Olympias case, floated) along the edge of the gym. "I need to know if you've had any visions concerning the battle to come."

"Is that why you have come Serena?" asked Olympia, turning to her.

"We have to be ready," explained Serena, turning to the Gym Leader as well, "I'm worried about Ash. He isn't what he used to be, and that worries me."

"I did detect you coming into Kalos, my dear," said Olympia, "I was going to summon you, but you coming here saved us all time."

"So, you did have a vision," said Serena, looking up at her. Olympia's indigo eyes turned into an amethyst color and her pupils almost thinned into slits. She spread her silvery cloak wide and projected an green smoky screen, on which, images appeared.

She continued to speak as Ash, Thorn, a red Lucario, an Alakazam, and a stylized red R appeared on the green screen, "Another war with Team Rocket is approaching us. They will have prepared new weapons in order to bring the world to subjugation. In order to meet this new threat, what Ash did must be done by others, and he is the one that must lead them into battle. An army of Aura's is united as one and Thorn and Lucario will appear as one in this battle, experiencing the same as his father has before him. The Pokémon grow restless and an Alakazam stands at their head to lead them against us. They will be another foe our world faces. On whose side they will be, with Team Rocket or against them and us, I do not know." Olympia then lowered her cloak, signaling the end of the vision, "Civilization as we know it will be destroyed, unless Ash Ketchum becomes himself again."

Serena appeared troubled and said, "This brings more questions than answers. Can I find them somewhere?"

Olympia looked towards the starry ceiling for a few seconds and then said to Serena, "Go to Mount Silver. An old…friend can give you the answers you need."

"Who?"

 **(())**

"Team Rocket has taken residence in about every single major thing in the world," Gary said to Asher, ignoring the chatter of Delia as she talked to Thorn, Thorn's Pikachu, and Charizard. He looked at Asher, noticing that the other Pikachu had taken residence on Asher's right shoulder, like his Pikachu had done. "They have some of the more major news stations; they're in about every regions government; they're even taking over as Gym Leaders. They at least replaced Brock and have control of the Viridian City Gym.

"It doesn't look like they're strong enough to do a total takeover yet though," Gary continued. "People know what to look for, but the only out-in-the-open evidence that the news feed has caught is stuff that happens out in the open, like the attack on your house and a couple of Pokémon kidnappings, like Thorn's friend, Riolu."

"Have you heard anything from Brock yet?" asked Asher.

"No," replied Gary, "Or from Misty or their daughter, Petra. She is, however, journeying in Johto right now, so that could explain why we haven't heard from her."

"All sounds pretty bad right now, doesn't it?" Asher commented dryly.

"Yeah, it does." Gary finally rubbed a hand in between his eyes and looked at Asher and said, "We need you, Ash."

Asher stiffened and turned to Gary, saying angrily, "I don't go by that name anymore, Oak."

"And I don't go by Oak, either," Gary replied back. "I know that the pain is still there, but-"

"You weren't there at the Battle of Aquacorde, Gary!" Asher said angrily, "You didn't know what it was like, seeing your team, your friends, falling around you! You didn't see…" his voice trailed off as his throat tightened and tears threatened to fall from his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Thanks for helping Gary. Contact me if Brock calls and get everyone else ready. Thorn, Charizard," he called to his son and Pokémon, "time to go."

"Ash," said his mother, getting up and drawing her son into a comforting hug, "It was hard for me to see you go without saying goodbye. To see you go again…" now her voice trailed off for a second. Then, she said, huskily, "Just make sure you come home this time."

"I will this time mom," said Asher, "I promise. Son, let's go."

Thorn got pulled into a hug as well as his grandmother said, "Take good care of yourself Thorn."

"I will, Grandma." Thorn said.

Delia and Gary watched as Asher and Thorn took off on Charizards back with the two Pikachus. Delia remarked, "He's so…different from when he was younger."

Gary replied to her, "I've heard of people that go through so much trauma that they want to be someone else. Ash underwent that. He doesn't want to be who he was, but he does retain his memories He's going to have it rough, and _Asher_ is going to realize that he has to let go in order for Ash to come back."

 **(())**

 **[base of Mount Silver]**

Four days later, Asher and Thorn hopped off of Charizards back in front of a large cave. Asher nodded to Charizard and said, "Can you call them out?"

Charizard nodded and gave a earth-shattering roar that echoed around the clearing and into the cave. As the Pikachus lifted their paws off their ears, three figures appeared in the cave.

Thorn watched in awe as a Sceptile, a Gigalith, and a Garchomp appeared in the cave, looking at Asher as if they had been waiting for him. "Hey guys," Asher said, not excitedly.

The Pikachu on Asher's shoulder hopped off and moved forward to greet the Pokémon with Charizard, who also moved forward to greet the team. Thorn gave a timid wave as the Sceptile looked in his and his dads direction. He jumped nervously as the Sceptile moved in font of his dad, then started nuzzling him. "Okay, okay, Sceptile," said his trainer, breaking into a smile and giving a slight laugh, "I missed you too."

Looking around, Asher noticed something, "Where's the last one?" he asked.

Suddenly, a shadow flited across the edge of Asher's vision, then again, and the bushes behind him quivered. As he and Thorn turned around, a Greninja stalked out of the bushes, looking at Asher accusingly. "Hello, old friend," Asher said, not cheerfully.

Ignoring the gaze of Greninja, he quickly explained, "Team Rocket is rising again, stronger than ever. I need your help to defeat them once and for all."

Not one of the Pokemon, not even Charizard, moves…except Greninja, who is still looking at Asher accusingly, and points to the cave as if to say, _go in._

"I can't," Asher says to him.

"I really need your help, you guys," he says, almost pleadingly. But still, none of the Pokemon move, and Greninja keeps on pointing to the cave. "I can't go in there," Asher says again.

Thorn then notices that all the Pokemon start to look accusingly at his dad, except the Pikachus, who look confused at everyone, and he hazards a question, "Um, dad? What's in the cave?"

"Pain."

As Asher starts to walk away, Charizard suddenly moves in front of him, holding out a wing and blocking him. "Why can't you understand?" said Asher, "I can't face what's in there!" Charizards only reply was to push his trainer towards the mouth of the cave and as the team gather in a loose semi-circle around him, he says, "If you're not going to help me until I go in there, then it looks like we'll be here a long time; because I am not going in there. Not today, not ever."

 **You'll find out what's in the cave soon, but it's not the next chapter, I'm afraid.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the third chapter. I was planning on posting it later, but you guys were begging. Now,we don't go into the cave just yet; that will happen at the end of the chapter. And you won't believe who Serena is going to meet! They will appear again at the end of the chapter.**

 **[Johto side of Mount Silver]**

Serena and her Pokémon moved through the undergrowth to the place Olympia said where they would find their informant on the restless. Serena thought to herself on who Olympia said that they were going to go see. _I can't believe that we have to see him,_ she thought to herself.

Suddenly, they emerged into a clearing. Well, not very much of a clearing. It was full of all sorts of things. Almost rubbish, but for some odd reason, there was an old stump in the center of the clearing with a picture on top of it in a frame. It showed two people and two Pokémon. The people were a man and a woman. The man had purple hair while the woman had long magenta colored hair. On top of a Wobbufet perched a Meowth. The people in the picture looked pretty happy.

As Serena picked up the picture, a voice behind and above her called out, "I'd wondered when you'd come around, 'twoipette'."

Startled, Serena and her Pokémon look around as the voice continues, "Trouble starting up again, and why am I not surprised to see you poking around my new home. In exile of course, but still a home. Team Rocket is stirring, the Restless are gathering, bitterness has filled the world, oh, why is it now that you, Serena Yvonne, come to little old me. Well, not so little anymore, I guess."

Finally, the voice turns exasperated and calls out, "Up here, dimwits!"

They look towards the source of the voice. From a high up branch in a tree, a Persian is laying on a sturdy branch. Grinning wickedly, he says to Serena, "You must be so desperate to come to an old enemy."

Serena asks, "Can we talk?"

"I suppose so," the Persian says hotly, "Haven't had any Pokémon to talk to since the Battle of Aquacorde, except those guys on the other side of the mountain. But people are a different matter. Haven't talked to a person since Jessie died and James got put in a hospital somewhere."

"I heard," said Serena, "he's catatonic isn't he?"

"That's what comes with choosing the wrong side," says Persian, "Team Rocket went too far from The Boss's original vision." He sighs sadly. " and for that, they still arrest him. Not that I'm complaining about it," Persian continues, "But I'm not the only one who suffered from losses. What about you and the 'twoip'? You went off the grid completely!"

"Ash also went catatonic! But he recovered with some care. Then we went into hiding. He's Asher now, not Ash. A tax consultant."

Persian says, a little bit shocked and amused at the same time, "Never would've thought that he'd do that! Hah! A tax consultant. But I suppose you're not here to talk about the good old days. Why you here?"

"Team rocket is rising again," explains Serena

"And this is a surprise why?" says Persian, "If you're here to persuade me to fight, good luck with that!"

"Asher and I were forced from hiding," says Serena

The Persian gives a scoff, "No surprises there either! I bet you were expectin' that to happen!"

"Asher has gone to find his remaining Pokémon."

"And that Professor Oak told you where to find them," he turned away from her and said, "You know, I actually go and pay my respects to them every so often."

"They're here?"

"Yup. I'm actually surprised that Greninja would let me visit them. The others give me dagger-eyes. So, what'cha doin' here?"

Serena says, "Olympia has told me of the Restless. They're why I'm here."

Persian turns to face Serena and smiles, saying, "Well then, you came to the right Persian."

 **(())**

 **[Kanto side of Mount Silver]**

Asher leaned against a tree at the edge of clearing, as far from the cave as he could get without one of the Pokémon appearing and dragging him back. He was deep in his thoughts and thinking about what he could do to convince his team that they had to stop Team Rocket. But he knew that they wouldn't leave until he had gone in. But he was completely refusing to do that.

Suddenly, he felt something nudge him, and looking down, he sees one of the two Pikachus that started following him around. It looked up at him and asked in a questioning tone, "Pi-ka?"

Asher glared at it and said, "Go away."

The Pikachu stays there continuing to look up at him, so he gave a half-hearted kick, which it dodged, and said to it, a little bit more firmer, "Go away."

The Pikachu now looked a little bit annoyed and Asher saw it charging up its cheeks. Then it shocked him a bit, causing him to sit hard with an, "OW! What was that for?"

The Pikachu pointed towards the mouth of the cave and said, "Pi-ka pi-ka! Pikachu?"

"No! I'm not going in there!" Asher told it. He still had that gift of able to sort of understand what Pokémon said.

"Pi-ka?" asked the Pikachu.

"I'm not that person anymore, and I'm not going to go in there!"

 **(())**

Thorn, the other Pikachu (which he had nicknamed Thunder) Charizard, and Sceptile were sitting a little ways into the undergrowth. Thorn found it a little strange to be spying on his father, but he knew that he needed to heal and become who he really was. "What is his deal?" he asks, "all he has to do is go into a cave! Why is he so hesitant?"

Charizard shrugs his big shoulders as if to say, _I don't know any more than you do._ "You're right. None of us really know, do we." Thorn sighs and asks Charizard and Sceptile, "How good of a trainer was he?"

Charizard gives a thumbs up while Sceptile wiggles his hand-like claw in a so-so gesture. "That good huh?" Thorn asks smiling, but then it changed into a frown as he asks, "so what changed? Do you guys know?"

Sceptile leans over and taps Thorn's chest, then leaning back, he shook his head with a sad, "Scep-tile."

"Is there something wrong with his heart?"

Sceptile shakes his hand in a so-so gesture again. "Wish he wasn't like that now," Thorn said gloomily, "I want a dad that let's me become a trainer. Now that I know who he really is, well...I want him to be Ash Ketchum. Is that why you won't help him stop Team Rocket? Because you want the old him back?"

Charizard, Sceptile, and Gigalith-who is watching on a nearby rock-nod in agreement. "Including Greninja?" Thorn asks, reffering to the blue ninja-frog Pokemon that wasn't currently with them. Charizard nods in confirmation.

Gigalith continues to scan the sky, looking for anysigns of troube that just might head their way. Suddenly he freezes and gives a roar, causing everyone to jump and look up in time to see a Team Rocket plane, engines on fire and smoke trailing from it, to pass overhead and a little while later is the sound of something crashing into the ground.

"C'mon, guys!" yells Thorn. Thunder hops on his shoulder as everyone rushes into the clearing. Asher is sitting up and looking at the sky as Thorn says, "Dad! Did you see that?"

"If you are referring to the Team Rocket plane that just whizzed overhead, heavily damaged, yes, I did see it," Asher says to him, standing up. Charizard turns it's back to Asher, as if promping himto get on. Asher doesn't hesitate and clambers onto the fire-lizard Pokemons back while Sceptile beckons to Thorn to get on. Asher calls back Gigalith and he, Pikachu, Charizard, and Garchomp take to the air, as Thorn, Thunder and Sceptile run along the ground, following them. "Hold on!" says Thorn, "Where's Greninja?"

Sceptile shrugs his shoulders and calls back and Thorn gets the impression that he said, _he's got his reason for staying out of this!_

 **(())**

The flying Pokemon land at the edge of the small, destroyed part of the forest that Team Rocket had caused when they crashed. The grunts were milling around the crash site, exclaiming about the burning plane and, "Oh man, the boss ain't gonna be happy about this!"

"I don't see any Elites," says Thorn as he and Sceptile come up. "Grunt crew," says Asher, "let's find out what they're up to."

The grunts give a jump as Asher, Thorn and the rest of the Pokemon come out of the forest. Instantly, they called out their Pokemon and one of the grunts-who looked like the group leader, said, "You don't want to mess with us you two! Get on outta here!"

"I think not," said Asher, smiling slightly. "Let's see if we can blast you guys off too," said Thorn, grinning. Thunder, who was perched on his shoulder, smiled slightly as well, his cheeks sparking slightly.

Less than five minutes later, the grunt crew and their Pokemon were flat out on the ground, Knocked Out cold. "It's funnier when you get to blast them off," said Thorn sadly.

"Still, son, it was kind of funny to see that one guy running around with his rear end on fire. Thank you for that Charizard," Asher said to him. The fire-lizard Pokemon was grinning and giving several grunts as if he was still laughing. "Lets see what they were carting," Asher said to his team.

Suddenly, there came an explosion from the rear end of the wreckage. A small, injured Growlith emerged, covered in bruises and a few burns. Thorn quickly scooped him up as his father said, "There must be more. C'mon!"

Going to the tail end of the plane, he ordered, "Garchomp! Use Hyper beam!" A purple and gold beam of energy shot from the dragon-like Pokemons mouth, shooting a hole in which they all climbed in, Thorn still holding the Growlith, who appeared too weak to even struggle.

Gigalith started using Sandstorm to put out the flames as Charizard, Sceptile, and Garchomp worked on the three remaining cages which contained an Oshawott, a Rufflet, and a Zoura. The three Pokemon were scratching their cages and Zoura was even using Dark Pulse to try and burn a hole in the side like Growlith had done. Their efforts increased as the three other Pokemon approached.

Charizard and Sceptile soon had Oshawott and Ruffle free, but Garchomp was still struggling with the lock on Zoura's cage As he was working, a sudden explosion overhead caused a steel beam to fall on Garchomp, knocking him to the floor. "Garchomp!" yelled Asher, running forward and checking on him. Garchomp was struggling to stand with the weight of the beam on him, and he now had a long burn mark on his back and right arm-wing.

Asher looked up as he put Garchomp back in his Pokeball and said as another explosion occured, "The place is starting to collapse. Everyone get out, me and Pikachu will get Zoura."

"Dad, I'm not leaving you!" protested Thorn, but Asher said calmly to him, "I know what I'm doing. Now go!" Sceptile lifted up the still-protesting Thorn, Thunder, and the Growlith, and headed outside.

 **(())**

On the other side of the plane, not the side where all the grunts were, Thorn paced and stared worriedly at the wreckage, pacing back and forth worriedly. Finally, he said, "What's taking them so long?"

Meanwhile, inside the remains of the cargo bay, Asher and Pikachu had finally managed to crack open Zoura's cage, Pikachu using Iron Tail. Asher lifted out Zoura and said to Pikachu, "Let's get out of here." As they started towards the exit, another explosion caused the back end to collapse, casing the three of them to back up. Pikachu pointed to the hole that Growlith had made, indicating that they could still get out. "Right. Let's go!" said Asher.

They quickly crawled through as the plane started to collapse and explode. (Asher with a little bit of squeezing) "There they are!" yelled Thorn, pointing to them as they rushed across the strip of grass to the woods. Charizard took one look at them and flew forward, grabbing his trainer and the two Pokemon. He flew back into the forest just as the plane exploded. Thorn, Sceptile, and Gigalith were cheering as Charizard landed in front of them.

Asher was breathing heavily, but there was a huge grin on his face. Even if he didn't want to be Ash Ketchum, he could still rescue Pokemon, and boy was that fun. Pikachu hopped onto the ground and shook off the soot covering his small body as Zoura and all the other Pokemon that they had rescued bobbed their heads respectivly to Asher and Thorn, expressing their thanks. "Your welcome," replied Thorn. He was also smiling. Turning to his father, he asked, "Is rescuing Pokemon that fun? If it is, I hope I can do it a lot more! That was awesome!"

"C'mon everybody," says Asher, still smiling, "let's head back to the clearing. These guys are going to need some treatment, as well as Garchomp."

When they reached the clearing, Asher let out Garchomp, and told Sceptile and Charizar to patch him up. As Thorn started pulling out sprays from his father's backpack, he looked up and froze.

Knowing who exactly was behind him, Asher turned around and came face-to-face with Greninja, who was looking at him eerily. "So, where were you?" he asked, a little accusingly. All the Pokemon froze as they saw the confrontation between the two of them. "Gar-gar," murmurs Garchomp.

"I need you Greninja," says Asher, "I need you so what happened a long time ago doesn't happen again. So that no more young Pokemon can meet their end and become weapons. I need all of you." he turns to his team.

Nobody moves except Greninja, who points to the cave-once again, still not saying anything to him.

"I can't," Asher says again. "We've gone over this; I'm not going in there."

"What's in there dad?" Thorn asks his dad in confusion. All the other Pokemon, except Asher's Pokemon, look confused.

Asher was silent for a long moment, then he says, "When I was out of it for a while, so full of despair, your mother, Serena, she and my Pokémon prepared a way that would be able to bring the old me back, when they needed me. Serena had visited a Xatu, and it had said that Ash Ketchum would be needed again. I don't want to be Ash again. I was against it. But Serena went with it anyways."

He turns to Thorn and says, "When I was Ash, when I fought Team Rocket in that battle at Aquacorde, all I left were 'Ash's'." Then Asher says to Greninja, "I can't be Ash Ketchum anymore. He's dead, I'm sorry."

Greninja doesn't move. "I need you Greninja. I need you all." He turns to the rest of his Pokémon as he says this.

"I doubt that Greninja or the rest of your Pokemon are going to help you unless you go back to the person you were before all this happened."

They all turn to see Persian, Serena, and all of Serena's Pokemon. Asher instantly recognises the Persian and says, "you."

"Me," says Persian with a smile.

Serena runs up and hugs Asher and Thorn, saying, "I'm glad you're both safe. Although," she sniffs their clothes and asks, "why do you smell like ash?"

"Uh, long story, Mom," says Thorn nervously. Thunder shakes his head in despair, and then gets stroked by Serena. "Oh, Mom, thei is Thunder," Thorn introduces his Pikachu.

"Glad to meet you, Thunder," Serena says to Thunder, who smiles and says, "Pika-pika!"

Then Persian says to Asher, "Tell me, how do you plan to stop Team Rocket as you are? What Ash would've done is immediatlly gone out of his way to make sure Team Rocket would have been stopped. He wouldn't have run away like you have been doing these past 20 years."

Asher growls, "I have not been running."

Persian thinks for a second and then says, "You're right. Oh, oh, you've been _hiding._ Hiding like a child, afraid of the Gengar under his bed, waiting to come out and frighten him! The real Ash that I worked with and fought with all those years ago would not have hid like some three-year old!"

" _I AM NOT ASH KETCHUM!"_ roars Asher, angry with Persian.

"If you truly believe that," says Persian, "then we're all dead. Maybe Team Rocket will spare us all when they coquer the world, but the Restless certainly won't."

Thorn, now confused, asks, "The Restless?"

Serena explains, "After I dropped off your brothers and sisters, I went to Anistar City, home to the Anistar Gym thats led by Olympia, who can see the future." Turning to her husband, she continues, "Olympia was the one who predicted the Kalos Crisis, and Olympia has had visions again. 'Civilization as we know it will be destroyed, unless Ash Ketchum becomes himself again.' That's what she said," she says, repeating Olympia's words.

"Team Rocket ain't the only thing that you have to worry about now," Persian says, "There's a group of Pokemon that have been abandoned by their Trainers. They've been gathering the Wild Pokemon together, forming a group called the Restless. They are through co-existing with humanity capturing them and fighting with them, not caring one bit about them. So, they've decided to do something about it. And I'm telling you now, it ain't gonna be pretty when they're done."

"We need you Ash," says Serena, calling Aser by his real name.

Asher doesn't try to remind Serena. He's stunned by this revelation. He was backed into a corner, and he's stuck with no other choice. He now knows that he cannot continue as he is. Both humans and Pokemon need who he was, not who he is now. But he still hesitates. If he was going to go in there, he can't do it alone.

He turns to Serena and says, "I can't do this alone."

"I'll be with you every step of the way," she replies. The two of them grasp hands, and, side by side, they walk into the cave with everyone watching.

As soon as they vanish into the cave entrance, Persian plops down on the ground and says, "Now, we wait."

 **Forewarning, the next chapter will be very sad. Will Asher finally embrace who he is meant to be?**

 **Stay tuned for the last chapter; and don't kill me!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Note to everybody; Heart-wrenching scenes ahead. Read at your own risk. And please, no flames.**

 **Note: The Idea for this story comes from my brother. You can blame him if you want to.**

Serena and Asher are walking down a long tunnel in the cave. Serena is sort of supporting Asher, who looks extreemly weighed down and nervous. "Are you okay?" she pressed gently.

Asher takes a deep breath and shakes his head. He knew he wasn't okay, but he had to go through with this.

Soon, they reach the end of the tunnel, which opens up to a large cavern, which shows signs if Pokemon living in it, such as a Sceptile, a Garchomp, and a Gigalith. There are scorch marks along the walls and signs of Pokemon walking around. "Greninja must've slept outside," murmured Asher, "he could never face this anymore than I can right now."

At the other end of the anti-chamber is a large, stone door, which looks extreemly heavy. Yet somehow, when the two of them reach the door, Asher pushes it open. It swings heavily on its hinjes, but it stays open, and the two of them step through.

They enter into a chamber full of dim light, which shines on a large group of tombstones. The tombstones are a golden stone color with a Pokeball embedded into the top. Each marker has the name of a Pokemon on it. They are the Pokemon that were lost in the battle where Ash was lost. As Asher reads the names on the tombstones silently, his throat threatens to close. Memories spring forward as he reads the names-Infernape, Kingler, Swellow, Snorlax-so many names, each one of them like a punch in the gut, a tearing in his heart. Asher began to feel tears well up in his eyes at the sight of all of those tombstones. He turned to look at Serena and saw that she too, had tears in her eyes. They came to another door, smaller this time and made out of wood. Without hesitation, but with aprehension, Asher opens it and he and Serena went inside.

In a place of honor sat another tombstone-this one marked with the name of his oldest companion-his first Pokemon, Raichu. Three years after his Alolan journey, Pikachu had finally decided to evolve. And somehow, he could still ride on Ash's shoulder. He wasn't a very big Raichu. But he was still a very powerful and beloved friend.

They kneel in front of the grave and Asher touches the Pokeball embedded into it. "It's just hard to be here, isn't it?" asked Serena. Asher doesn't say anything. He remembers what happened to his friend. How he died...

 _(Flashback)_

 _It was the second day that that Ash's was fighting Team Rocket. They had focused on using quick, lightning-like attacks, striking quickly and vanishing. But then, Ash and Raichu found themselves facing a Garydos, commanded by the Team Rocket Elite, Dagan. Raichu had leapt up, firing a Hyper Beam._

 _Then, Dagan had yelled out. Other Pokemon leapt upwards unleashing their attacks. Ash yelled out, but Raichu could not dodge. And Ash could only look on in horror as the attacks struck Raichu. Before the dust could clear, Greninja in his Ash-Greninja mode had dived into the smoke, and came back out holding a limp Raichu. One look into Greninja's face and Ash knew one thing._

 _As he cradled Raichu in his arms one last time, he said, "I'm sorry...Pikachu. I'm so, so, sorry."_

 _(End Flashback)_

"That's what made me give up."

Serena looked at Asher as he continued, "I just couldn't go on without him. I just couldn't go on without Pikachu. When he decided to become Raichu, it took me a while to accept that. But, now he's gone..." Asher took a deep breath before saying, "People said that I didn't have a weakness, that no matter what battle was given to me, I could figure it out in the end. But I did have a weakness; I never learned to let go. I could never truly let go. I never really believed it, that I could lose someone. And now that I have, I just can't imagine them gone. I never believed that they were gone."

"Letting go is a part of life," said Serena, placing a gentle arm around Asher's shoulders, "when old friends pass on, you have to let new ones into your life."

"I know." Then, he finally let's the tears that he had been holding for twenty years to go cascading down his cheeks. He broke down, sobbing into Serena's shoulder. She held him gently, adding her own tears.

After several heart-wrenching moment, _Ash_ says, "The pain is gone. I'm Ash Ketchum again. And I promise, what happened a long time ago will not happen again. To me, or to anyone else."

Serena said to him, "Well, if that's ever going to happen again, you're going to need a new uniform." She gets up and walks around Raichu's tombstone, walking over to the cabinet behind it. Opening it, she reveals a familliar outfit, with a red cap to complete it.

 **(())**

Thorn and all the other Pokemon are waiting outside the cave entrance, waiting for Asher and Serena to come out. Suddenly, Greninja turns his head to the cave mouth, from which Serena and Ash appear.

Ash now wore a short-sleeved, blue hoodless coat, with white and blue sleeves and black and red fingerless gloves. His pants match the blue on his coat, with his pockets a lighter blue. He has red, blue and black combat boots and his red hat has a white half-circle on the front, and a white brim. His Pokemon belt was around his waist with all the Pokeballs, plus a sixth one that Greninja knew who was for. One look into his eyes proves that this was his trainer. This was Ash.

Ash walks right up to Greninja and says, "What was it I said when we worked together, old friend? Stronger together?" Their movements become syncronised and a colom of raging water erupts around Greninja. When the water coliates into a large Water Shurikan on his back, Greninja looks remarkably more like Ash, down to the familiar fire that burned in both of their eyes. As the two of them look across the land, they could see, with Greninja's ability,that the land was filled with negative energy, more than in the past during the Kalos crisis.

"We've got a lot of work to do, everyone." The two of them turn as Ash explains, "the whole world is full of negative energy. The Restless and Team Rocket have caused this, and we're going to need all of the help that we can get to stop them. But, unfortunatly," he flashes a wink at Greninja, who stifles a chuckle, "I am one short of a full team.

"Pi-ka!" Pikachu hops onto Ash's shoulder happily, knowing exactly what Ash meant. " _Now_ , I've got a full team," Ash remarks, causing everyone to laugh at this.

Ash continues, saying, "we have to stop these groups, but I don't want any of us to go through the battle of Aquacorde again. That is the last thing that we need to have."

"We should probably talk to Gary again," said Serena, standing beside her husband, "He could contact all of the other regional professors so they can recruit the rest of our friends and probably a few others."

"Right. And speaking of Gary." Ash bekons to Thorn, who comes forward. "You really want to become a trainer, don't you, son?" he asks him.

"Yes, I do." Thorn's voice is shaking in exitement.

"Well then, while your over at Gary's to tell him to start recruiting," sais Ash, a smile on his face, "tell him that you also need a Universal Pokedex, as well as a couple of Pokeballs. After all, you've got quite a decent team here. Assuming that they all want to go with you?" Ash looks at them, who instantly give a cheer and rush over to stand by Thorn's side, and Thunder hops onto Thorn's shoulder.

Ash looks at his son and his Pokemon team, then gives a snort and says, "Go on out there. Train. Become the strongest and the best you can be. I know that you're one Pokemon short, but I also know who the last spot will be for. While you're trying to find and rescue Riolu, see if you can find more on this Restless, and try to find Team Rocket's main headquarters. When you believe that you've become your strongest, come find me and your mother. We'll help you become even stronger."

"On the subect of the Restless," says Persian, "How are you planning to stop them? I know that you never go in with a plan, except to tell them to stop, but I also know that that plan almost never works," he sarcasticly points out.

"I don't know for certain how we're going to stop them," said Ash, looking towards the setting sun, "All we know is that they're Pokemon that have been abandoned and wild Pokemon. They're one of the ones that are causing all of this negative energy, Team Rocket the other. We can show them that there are good people in this world. You just have to look for them. Right guys?" he asks his Pokemon, who all chorus in agreement.

As everyone looks towards the setting sun, they all knew one thing; The war against Team Rocket did not end at Aquacorde. It was just the begining.

 **Okay, I'll admit, I teared up when I was writing the flashback. I didn't even want to kill Pikachu/Raichu, or even evolve him. But it had to be done. (My brother) ;( ;(**

 **(I have to do this.) #LonglivePikachu!**

 **And don't worry, this isn't the end! Stay tuned for the Epilouge!**


	5. Epilouge

**Told you there'd be an epilouge. This will be rather short though. Shocking reveal here, hope you enjoy!**

 _ **Team Rocket base; Sinnoh**_

The leader of the new Team Rocket stood on a balcony overlooking some younger members of their cause battling against the special battle hologram program with an assortment of Lucarios, Riolus, Greninjas, and other Pokemon that grew in large numbers as their partners. He could see that some of the Pokemon were fighting with a bit of reluctancy. The leader knew that they would soon understand.

A door behind him opened and the lead scientist joined his leader by his side. "How are they doing," asked the leader in a low voice, "are there any results?"

"Nothing as what happens to Ash Ketchum and his Greninja," says the scientist, "Nothing that we are doing is making any of them syncronize. But we may just need to work harder; get more equipment," he hurriedly added as the leader looked back at him. The leader gave a heavy sigh and said, "And how is our major part going? Are we sucessful at least in that?"

"The Lucario, Gothitele, and Mew DNA are binding nicely," says the scientist, holding up a data pad, allowing the leader to look through it. After a few moments, the leader asks, "And do we have a name for our creation?"

"Mewthree seemed appropriate enough," said the scientist, smiling with him, "It even reacted a bit."

The scientst then asked worredly on the situation of Ash Ketchum. "He's somewhere near the boundary between Kanto and Johto," said the leader, "We don't know where he is, but we suspect that he will be coming back to challenge us again,"

"This does not bode well, " says the scientist.

"Anymore so than the Restless Pokemon?" the TR leader snaps.

The scientist started to stammer that they were nothing more than a wrench in the cause, and that nothing would stop them, but the Team Rocket leader then snapped that, "Wild Pokemon banding together is a threat that will have to be elliminated at all costs!"

"As you say sir," says the scientist

"We have lost ground," says the Team Rocket leader, "We have thought to catch the world unprep. this time. But it has been warned, and now we must tred carefully, for we cannot stop. We shall use our influence to end these threats that face us, use our enemies against themselves. And then, if necessary, we will conquer. But fo rnow, our main course of action will be to conquer the world through political and economic means. A harder, but surely, a more worthwhile path."

"It shall be as you say sir," the scientist says, "I shall go back to work, to make sure that Team Rocket recieves its glory and takes its place in the world. Under your leadership, Dagan."

"And just like Ash Ketchum's Raichu," said Dagan, "Ash will fall under our numbers. With no help to come. He and all of his friends will fall under the might of the new Team Rocket."

Down on the battlefield, one peculiar, glowing-eyed Riolu glances resentfully up at his trainer, who urges him into the attack, who does so reluctantly.

He would escape, eventually. But he was not strong enough, but he would grow stronger, he was sure of it. He could feel his true trainer, his true friend out there, somewhere. _Somewhere..._

 **End of Book One**

 **I hope you all enjoyed the Pain of Asher. Coming up next is The Ketchum Legacy: Divide and Conquer!**

 **See you all next time!**


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